Israel says Palestinians smuggled cameras to Gaza for Hamas

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli authorities have charged two Palestinians with helping to smuggle hundreds of cameras to the Gaza Strip for the Islamic militant group Hamas and others.

The Shin Bet security agency says authorities arrested the suspected smugglers last month. It says cameras, model airplanes, communications cables and other goods were smuggled by a West Bank merchant through Israel's border crossing into Gaza, hidden in televisions, washing machines and refrigerators.

Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after Hamas seized power from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel checks goods passing its border into Gaza, and halts what it calls "dual-use materials," which could be used by Hamas for military purposes.